Preface: Yes, the Colombian Secret Service/prostitute scandal is hot but imho too new for commentary. The Bidens’ take is small potatoes, but the principle bothers me. Joe and Jill finagle extra income from free, required protection. Tacky.

Rotating proximal Secret Service agents helps ensure protectee safety 24/7. V.P. Joe and Dr. Jill Bidens’ agents use a cabin on “lakefront property he owns in Delaware” but the Bidens charge $2,200/month rent (Washington Times’ “Biden to continue collecting rent from Secret Service“). The report reveals the couple earn $379,178 but will collect $2,200 monthly another year under a November 2011 lease.

“Biden took deductions for mortgage interest and taxes that allowed him to report only $12,653 … ,” finds the White House Dossier. The Times and Dossier’s numbers come from 2011 income tax forms at the White House site. I took screenshots of Schedule E:

Cropped: Rent charged to Secret Service by Bidens in 2011

Vice President Biden has made his living with taxpayer money since his late 20s. So it’s no wonder that he and Dr. Biden apparently have a tough time getting by on $31,598 every month. That explains why the Bidens give only 1.5% of their earnings to charity — just “$5,540″ during 2011.

The Washington Times thoroughly investigated the story, and interviewed the Secret Service:

Federal spending records show the U.S. Secret Service approved a purchase order on Nov. 2 to pay Mr. Biden $26,400 for agents to stay at a cottage on lakefront property he owns in Delaware.

Edwin M. Donovan, special agent in charge at the Secret Service’s Office of Public Affairs in Washington, said Mr. Biden isn’t receiving all that money at once. Instead, he said, the purchase order shows plans by the Secret Service to pay Mr. Biden $2,200 per month for another year.

In other words, Mr. Biden isn’t raising the rent.

He has been charging the Secret Service that same rate under previous purchases orders, first reported by The Washington Times this past summer, totaling $13,200.

The White House declined to comment Thursday on the latest purchase order other than to point out that the cottage property was an existing rental when the Secret Service moved in.

But officials declined to say whether Mr. Biden considered letting agents stay in his cottage free of charge, or even at a reduced rate, following criticisms from taxpayer watchdogs who questioned the arrangement when it became public in July. …

Are any of you more expert in reading IRS forms? Check out the full return and report what you notice.

P.S. Yes, I realize that in the scheme of things, it’s not a huge amount of money. But $22,000+ is far more than what millions of Americans can earn in a year.

HoosierinDixie

I remember reading a similar article some time ago that said the Clintons also charge their Secret Service detail rent for a cottage on their NY estate. I don’t recall all the details except it said GWB never charged their SS protection details for space on his ranch.

KenoshaMarge

This kind of behavior shouldn’t surprise us much. After all, Joe Biden has hardly worked a day in his life. Yet he’s sucked on the taxpayer teat for most of that time. This is really tacky and therefore quite in character for Biden.

I don’t think I even want to know what kind of a “pension” plan blabbermouth Joe will get. It wouldn’t be good for my blood pressure.

Flop_Flipper

Holy crap. Biden is actually profiting from his own protection? I knew politicians were scum but this does upset me considering that the taxpayers are ultimately paying for this. God love em. Cause I sure as hell don’t.

Roger Elder

The guy has been hanging around Washington so long that perhaps he feels entitled. I don’t think any of the career politicians can empathize with regular Americans.

Retired_from_SPOnaj

It is being reported that what triggered the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Columbia was one of the agents not booting the hooker out of his room by 7am in accordance with hotel policy and then fighting with the woman over her fee when the hotel summoned the police. I’d say that we can probably add at least one Secret Service agent to next week’s unemployment roles.

Flop_Flipper

I waiting for the next Dem operative to come out and defend the Secret Service because those women never worked a day in their life.

DianaLC

Well, I believe his charitable giving has gone up a bit since the general election. At least I think it was much smaller before.

BronwynsHarbor

You’re kidding.

DianaLC

During the general election, I remember learning that I had given more to charity than the Bidens.

As a percentage of my income I gave more to AmVets than the Biden’s combined.

DianaLC

During the nomination process and general election of ’08, I was making more money than I ever had before. No one in my family needed help at that time, so I remember that the year he gave his $995, I had given a little over $3,000. It really made me feel so good to be able to do that. It was a much higher percentage since I still in no way earned what Biden earned.

I’d be doing that still if this economy were the way it was even then–but it has hit many in my family and I send help when I can.

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